Hawkes Roofing · Maintenance
Gutter care planWe remember, so you don’t have to.
Most gutters need clearing once a year, and houses under big trees need it twice. On the gutter care plan, we book you in each year without you having to chase us, clear every gutter by hand, test the downpipes and send you photos.
What's included
- A visit every year in late November, after most leaves have fallen.
- A second visit in early spring if trees overhang your roof, booked before birds start nesting.
- A reminder by text a week before each visit.
- Every gutter, valley and outlet cleared by hand, and every downpipe tested.
- Photos of every run and of your roof slopes, each visit.
- You can stop the plan whenever you like.
Who it suits
- Houses under oaks, beech, pines or protected trees, where gutters fill every year.
- Terraces with shared gutter runs, where neighbours can join together.
- Anyone who'd rather not think about their gutters.
How to join
Fill in the form below and we’ll set the plan up for you, or call 07404 216065.
Roof and gutter cleaning, checked by roofers
Every visit includes a photographed check of accessible tiles, ridges, flashings, gutters, fascias and brackets. We explain what is visible and record anything that cannot be safely checked.
Repairs are never bundled into cleaning. Any defect is photographed and quoted separately; nothing extra is done without your written OK.
A dated maintenance record you can keep
Every clean comes with a dated photo report of the accessible roof and gutters. Keep it with your house records: it can help show your home has been looked after.
Insurers may decline a storm claim where the policy excludes gradual damage or poor maintenance. In Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-3678488, roof and gutter vegetation was one of several signs of poor maintenance, alongside displaced slates and pre-existing water damage; the refusal was upheld.
A clean or a dated report does not guarantee that a claim will be paid. Your policy, the cause of damage and the insurer’s assessment still matter.
The opposite of a doorstep gutter clean
In January 2026, Hertfordshire Trading Standards warned residents about rogue traders after bad weather, including small jobs escalating into larger work and unexpected increases. Read the Trading Standards warning.
- We never cold-call or knock on doors.
- Fixed scope agreed in writing before we start.
- If we find a problem, we photograph it and quote separately. No extra work on the day without your written OK.
- Qualifying work agreed at your home carries 14-day cancellation rights. Urgent repair exceptions and work you expressly ask to start early can affect those rights; the written terms explain what applies.
- You deal with Hawkes Roofing from quote to completion.
Nesting birds, bats and safe access come first
We check for nesting birds before starting. Nests in use or being built in gutters, eaves and roofs are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. We avoid disturbance and defer affected work when needed; read the RSPB’s advice on birds in the roof.
If we find signs of bats, we stop affected work and get advice. We do not disturb bats or their roosts.
Gutters are cleared by hand from ladders with stand-offs. For taller houses or awkward access we use a scaffold tower, quoted in advance, and a roof ladder for hand moss removal. All work at height follows the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
Moss, silt and leaves are bagged and taken away for lawful disposal. We're a registered waste carrier.
Local maintenance
Where shade and leaf load deserve a closer look
These details come from our existing town guides. A particular house’s trees, orientation and roof condition matter more than its postcode alone.
St Albans
Leaves and moss from shaded estate roofs can collect in outlets and gutter runs.
Harpenden
Mature oaks and beeches around the Common can bring a heavy autumn leaf load.
Wendover
Autumn leaf fall from the wooded Chiltern hillsides can fill gutters and outlets.
Ickenham
Tree-lined roads mean the actual leaf load matters more than a fixed town-wide schedule.
Where it’s worst locally
Hertfordshire
Wheathampstead
Trees are a big part of the village, and several are protected by Tree Preservation Orders, so cutting them back usually isn't an option.
London Colney
On the High Street, many cottages have their gutters right above the pavement, so an overflowing gutter soaks the front wall and the people walking underneath.
Radlett
We clear the lot by hand, test every downpipe and send you photos, so you can see the gutters you can't see from the garden.
Bushey
Two things fill them here: the wind across the high ground of Bushey Heath, which drives leaves and debris into gutters from well beyond your own garden, and the tree cover around The Lakes.
Rickmansworth
On terraces like these, the front gutter is rarely the problem.
Chorleywood
Steep, sloping plots mean some gutters sit much higher above the ground than they look from the road, so we plan safe ladder positions for each house at the survey.
Hemel Hempstead
When one outlet blocks, water backs up along the run and can overflow at the house next door.
Kings Langley
When those overflow, the water lands on the front wall and on people walking by.
Berkhamsted
Beech leaves are tough and slow to break down, and in a gutter they lie flat and mat together over the outlet, so water backs up behind them.
Tring
In Tring, "near trees" means anywhere close to the densely wooded Tring Park or the avenues along Park Road.
Buckinghamshire
Chesham
The pollarded trees on Stanley Avenue, the trees of Lowndes Park and the woodland around the town all drop leaves into gutters, and the damp valley floor keeps them wet.
Amersham
Arts and Crafts houses add valleys and gables that feed leaves into the gutters.
Little Chalfont
The hedgerows that divide so many plots drop leaves and clippings too, and the wooded corridor along the north of the village adds more.
Chalfont St Giles
Under pines, like those along Barrington Park Gardens, they block all year round.
Chalfont St Peter
Between them, they fill a lot of gutters every autumn.
Beaconsfield
That means the back gutters, the ones you can't see from the street, are often the fullest.
Stoke Mandeville
Many of those homes also have solar panels, and a gutter below a solar array is hard to see from the ground, so a blockage can go unnoticed.
Bourne End
Between them, they drop a heavy load of leaves every autumn.
Gerrards Cross
That combination means long gutter runs carrying a heavy leaf load every autumn.
Great Missenden
West of the railway, large houses have long gutter runs under mature trees, and they fill fast every autumn.
Marlow
It's a box gutter hidden behind the parapet, and when it blocks, water spills into the building rather than onto the street.
North-west London
Northwood
In Frithwood, the roads are lined with mature trees and tree work needs six weeks' notice to the council.
Ruislip
Near the Lido and the River Pinn, damp air keeps that debris wet and heavy, so it packs down and blocks outlets.
Pinner
Scots pine needles on Pinner Hill slip past gutter guards and block outlets.
Stanmore
Kerry Avenue is different.
Harefield
Farmland and woodland edges and canal-side trees fill gutters.
Gutter cleaning questions
When do you visit?
Once a year in late November, after most leaves have fallen. If trees overhang your roof, we add a second visit in early spring, booked before birds start nesting.
How do I know you're coming?
We send a reminder by text a week before each visit.
Do I need to be home?
No, as long as we can get to the back (side gate unlocked) and we've agreed the plan in writing.
What does it cost?
It depends on the house and how many visits you need. We agree the price in writing before you join.
Can I stop the plan?
Yes. You can stop the plan whenever you like.
Further reading
Hawkes Roofing
Join the gutter care plan
Scope agreed in writing. Photographed findings. Repairs quoted separately. Call Hawkes Roofing on 07404 216065 · Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm.